Author
Topic: Eric Hoglund Bubble Vase (Read 7043 times)

I own this lovely "bubble glass" or "soda glass" vase, which I take to be Scandinavian. The black dots are inclusions (I believe sand). My thinking is that it is an Eric Hoglund Boda piece from the 1950s/1960s, however the piece is unsigned and I haven't seen the same form in my pathetic library of reference books. Was all of Hoglund's work from this period signed, or just most of it? Is my attribution correct? If not, who are the most likely candiates.Thanks!Charles.

Looks like it could be the result of one of his experiments with potatos !The black bits would then be un-vaporized potato truned to carbon.Just a guess based on what I know of his unorthodox methods. Excellent piece.

The story about the potatoes is true. My book explores the question asked by artists coming to a glass factory for the first time "What if we did this or what if we tried that? From this came all sorts of new techniques.

Erik along with other Scandinavian glass artists were great experimentors throwing potatoes, wood chips, and metal into the glass mass to see what would happen.

Vicke Lindstrand used metal chips to create designs in glass while at Orrefors and needless to say Edvin Öhrström worked the arial technique to perfection.

The problems I have with this piece are two fold: no signature and it wasmy understanding they signed all of Eriks work and two the form does not look right to me.

Thanks for the interesting posts. I'll need to qualify my Hoglund attribution, and hit the books. Of course, all this leaves me wondering, "If not Hoglund, then who?" The base treatment looks so much like mid-century Scandinavian factory glass (not studio, U.S. or Italian). I understand that Kaj Franck also used bubble technique in his work for a time, but one normally sees signatures on his stuff, too. Potato remnants or not, the inclusions (sand?) should lend a clue as to the maker. Finally, I should mention, for what it's worth, that the piece appears not to be leaded glass; not heavy.

Just to underline that not all Höglund is signed, here is my personal collection of Höglund vases. The blue one with the folded rim is a famous early one, and should be seen next to the brown one with the folded rim. Then the orange pieces are identical in colour and finish, yet one is signed and the other is not. From this series I have also found three more pieces in a Reykjavik antique store, one signed, 2 unsigned.As you can see, the language of form and colour is very strong in all these pieces.http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/thumbnails.php?album=116